Transfer mechanism for feeding opened bags to a bag filling apparatus



July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1951 /N vs/v TO R j mes D o/ ay July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN 2,684,191

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN 2,684,191

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS BY v M,

A TTORNE Y5- July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 29, 1951 mm mm mm MN Ha lf-zmasvn/moq /N VEN OR A 7-70 ONE Y July 20, 1954 DOLMAN 2,684,191

TRANSFER MECHANISM F OR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 e hw I: m -sba/mev //v l EN TOR ATTORA/E Y5 July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 //v VENTOR ATTORNEY July 20, 1954 H. J. DOLMAN TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Jan. 29, 1951 m/mav //v l EN TOR H. J. DOLMAN 2,684,191 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING APPARATUS July 20, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Jan. 29, 1951 //v VENTOR H 'hvyjavQeswo/man ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATEd Patented July 20, 1954 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OPENED BAGS TO A BAG FILLING AP- PARATUS Henry J. Dolman, Bristol, England, assignor to Consolidated Packaging Machinery Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application January 29, 1951, Serial No. 208,394

genial 4 Claims.

1 This invention relates to mechanism for feeding paper or like bags to bag filling apparatus. The main object of the invention is to provide .a simple and efficient form of bag feeding mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for feeding paper or like bags to a filling nozzle of a bag filling apparatus, which employs a pneumatic separator that successively separates the bags one by one from a stack thereof in a magazine in which they are arranged in collapsed condition, and that retains each collapsed bag so separated until both sides of the bag are engaged by a pneumatic transfer and opening device, which then removes the bag from the pneumatic separator, opens out the bag, and transfers it to the filling nozzle so that the opened mouth of the bag is moved over said filling nozzle to surround it ready for the filling operation.

The above mentioned and other objects of the invention are achieved in the particular embodiment illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan of the whole mechanism but with the top of the filler funnel removed and with the rear end of the magazine for the stacked collapsed bags broken away.

Fig. 1A is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow II in Fig. 1, but with the magazine and its associated drive parts omitted, except that the position of the front bag in the magazine is indicated.

Fig. 2A is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a section on the section line III-III of Fig. 1 the rear end of the magazine being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a section on the section line IV-IV of Fig. 1, this line IVIV being identical with the section line IIIIII, except that the view is taken in the opposite direction.

Figs. 5 and 5A together constitute a perspective view indicating the general operation of the main moving mechanism but omitting certain fixed and moving parts required for supporting and driving such moving mechanism, the mechanism shown being in a different position to that indicated in Figs. 1-4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation looking in the direction of arrow VI, Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view looking in the direction of arrow VII, Fig. 1, and

Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the pneumatic bag transfer and opening device in two different positions.

Referring to the drawings, all the mechanism except the magazine I23 is carried on two uprights I (see Figs. 1-4), this magazine being independently supported by the floor.

Secured to these uprights I through the me dium of distance pieces 5 is the main frame 6, which is essentially a flat plate with strengthening webs thereon. This main frame 6 carries on one side two bearing brackets l and i5 (see Figs. 1 and 3), and on the other side seven bearing brackets 2'], ll, 55, 59, [813, we and 28 (see Figs. 1 and 2) to be hereinafter more fully described.

The bracket l (see Figs. 1 and 3) is formed with a plate like portion 8 (through which it is attached to the main frame 6) said portion B be& ing connected to a bearing element 9 that fits within a cut away part of the frame 5. The bracket 1' also has a curved channelled arm It] ending in an outer bearing element H whi'ch,iin conjunction with said bearing element 9, supports a short main shaft 12. This shaft [2 (best shown in Figs. 1 and 5) is adapted to be driven from a chain (not shown) by means of a sprocket wheel hi, includes a box cam I 3 in the form of a pulley with a groove 25 as indicated in Fig. 5, and extends through the bearing element 9 to carry 'a bevel wheel 30.

The bracket l5 (see Figs. 1 and 3) includes a base part it by which it is secured to the main frame 6, and a laterally extending webbed arm ll ending in an outer bearing [8 which supports one end of a fixed pivot pin H (see Figs. 1 and 5) Whose other end is secured to the main frame 6.

Upon the pin it i pivotally mounted a rocker lever 2% (see Figs. 1, 3 and 5). This rocker lever 20 is shown in the drawings as including a boss ii (to fit over the pin it) and short and long arms 22 and 26 respectively. The short arm 22 ends in a short stub axle 23 carrying a cam roller 2% that engages within the groove 25 of the box cam 13 above referred to. The long arm 2% has a slotted end 8? within which is slidably mounted a slide block 86 which is relatively rotatable about a pin 8-4 eccentrically mounted on an arm 35 of an axle so to be hereinafter described, whereby said axle 58 is oscillated.

The bearing brackets 27, 28 (see Figs. 1 and 2) support a cam shaft 29 carrying a bevel gear wheel iii which engages with the bevel gear wheel 3% and through which it is driven. This cam shaft is provided with three earns 52, 32 and 54.

The bracket 2'! is extended to support a funnel 353 (best seen in Fig. 5) through which the loading material (e. g. flour, sugar, grain) is to be fed to the bags, this extension not being shown in the drawings for clearness.

The bottom of the funnel 33 ends in a nozzle member 34 of rectangular form, said nozzle member 35 being constituted by two halves 35, 35 each pivoted to the main part of the funnel 33 by screws 31, 38. Biassing springs to (see Fig. 2) tend to open out the two halves 35, 36 so as to expand the filling nozzle 34. The bearing bracket ill (see Figs. 1 and 3) carries a shaft 3 9 (see also Fig. 5) controlling the expansion of said filling nozzle 35.

This shaft 33 is formed with a pair of arms 52, 43 carrying rollers id, 45 adapted to bear downwards against angle pieces 46, 47 secured to the two nozzle halves 35, 36. The rocking of this shaft 39 is effected by another arm E3 thereof being pivoted to a link 59 (see Figs. 2 and 3) which is itself pivoted at E3 to one end of a lever 5! whose other end is pivoted at El to the bracket 55, said lever 56 carrying a cam roller 56 that bears against the cam 52, whereby the shaft 39 will be rocked and the nozzle 34 thereby expanded or contracted at appropriate times (a spring I2I (Fig. 3) connecting the lever ill to a fixed part of the frame acts to keep the cam roller 56 pressed against the cam 52).

The bearing bracket 59 carries an oscillatory axle 60 (above referred to as oscillated through the rocking imparted to the long arm 25 of the rocker lever 25) Secured to the axle til through bush portions 63, 64 are radially extending stumps oi, 62 which respectively serve to support movable carriers l'l, i8 (see Fig. 5A). The carrier ii is pivoted at 69, ill to ends of parallel links iii, 68 whose opposite ends are pivoted at 65, 66 to the stump 6!.

It will be seen that the link 68 is forked at the end Where it is pivoted at it to the carrier II.

The links 57, 63 are of equal length. Also the distance between the pivot points 69, ii) is equal to the distance between the pivot points 65, 66 so this mechanism operates in the manner of a parallel ruler, so that if the stump SI is considered as fixed, then the carrier i! moves parallel to itself and more or less in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the axle Bi).

The carrier I3 is linked to its stump $2 in the same way as has just been described for the linkage between the carrier H and its stump fiI. That is to say, the carrier it is pivoted at it, T! to ends of parallel links M, '35 whose opposite ends are pivoted at i2, 73 to the stump 62. The link i5 is forked at the end where it is pivoted at if to the carrier 18. The links '54, F5 are of equal length. Also the distance between the pivot points '55, 'i' is equal to the distance between the pivot points 12, i3 so this mechanism operates in the manner of a parallel ruler, so that if the stump 82 is considered as fixed, then the carrier 7% moves parallel to itself and more or less in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the axle 6d. (This linkage for the carrier 78 is also shown in Fig. 2.)

The carriers ll, 18 respectively carry arms I9, 88 formed by pneumatic tubes ending in sets of suckers 8!, 82, $3 and fil 82 83 the relative positions of which are best indicated in Fig. 2.

The pneumatic tubes i9, 86} are connected at their upper ends through flexible tubing (not shown) to a controlled source of suction, whereby suction is intermittently applied at the right times.

The forked links 53, a5 carry protuberances 38, 89 (see Fig. 5A) which are milled out or cut away to provide spaces in which are housed rollers 99, SH pivotally mounted within said forked links at 92, 93.

Springs as, 95 act to bias the rollers 9 together so that they bear against a face cam 86 which is formed as a sleeve member 9? (see also Fig. 1) rotatable about the axle 50.

An arm 88 on said sleeve 9's has pivotally secured thereto at 92 an upwardly extending rod I I18 (only the lower half of said rod Ifiil being shown in 5). This rod Him! is also shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and its upper end is pivoted at IilI to a lever W2 whose other end is pivoted to the bearing bracket I93 carried by the main frame 6.

The said lever 62 carries a roller IM that bears against the cam 32 of the cam shaft 29, being forced thereon by a spring I22 (see Fig. 3) whose upper end is attached to said lever I92 and whose lower end is attached to the main frame 8. Thus the arms or pneumatic tubes is, 8%] and their respective suckers are oscillated (through about and their distance apart varied by means of the box cam I3 and the cam 32. The bracket Hi5 secured to the main frame 6 (see Figs. 1 and 4) is forked at its end to accommodate a carrier .56, secured to a short axle I91 pivotally mounted within said bracket I05.

The carrier Hi6 carries a downwardly extending pneumatic tube I08 ending in three suckers IE9, Hi I l I shown also in Fig. 5A (in which the middle part of the tube I38 has been broken away to show other parts). The pneumatic tube N33 has a short branch H2 by which it is connected through flexible tubing (not shown) to a controlled source of suction, whereby suction is ill-- termittently applied at the right times.

The carrier I86 and its pneumatic tube 5 are intermittently oscillated by means of a gen. quadrant H3 on said carrier I83 (see Fig. meshing with a gear quadrant .i i d on a rocker i 55 pivoted to the main frame e at i is and carrying a roller II I which engages the cam 54 of the cam shaft 25 The said roller Iii is pressed on to the cam 5 by means of a spring I is connected at its lower end to the bracket 23 and its upper end to the end of a lever I it secured to the short axle I81 of the carrier Hi5. Thu the pneumatic tube I68 and its suckers is oscillated from the cam 54.

The magazine I23 serves for holding a stack of bags in collapsed condition ready for filling.

As shown in the drawings (particularly Fig. 5A) the bags are arranged in a more or less horizontal stack, and the magazine is of arcuate shape to accommodate bags which in their collapsed condition are thicker at one end than the other due to the closed end having to be folded to more thickness.

The magazine is more or less open at its delivery end I36 but contains marginal projections E37, 538, I39, I40 at that end against which bear the marginal portions of the foremost collapsed bag, but when said foremost collapsed bag is acted upon by the suckers 599, Hi3, IiI of the pneumatic tube I98 and said tube moved, the foremost bag bends so a to get clear of said marginal projections I3i, I38, I39, Mil, which then act to retain the next collapsed bag in position.

The collapsed bags are forced against said projections I31, I38, I39, ME) by a spring pressed pusher plate I25 which i clamped by a screw I26 to an arm I27 secured to an axle i285 (see Fig. 1) which is rotatable within a bearing I29 secured to framing diagrammatically represented by I36.

Secured to a point on the periphery of a pulley I3I secured to the axle I28 is a wire rope 13-2 that passes round part of the pulley and is connected at its other end to one end of a spring its whose other end I 34 is secured to framing diagrammatically indicated by I35 in Fig. 3.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows:

The sprocket wheel It drives the main shaft l2 which through the connections shown causes the pneumatic tube 108 and its suckers to oscillate, and also oscillates the arms E9, 88 and their suckers simultaneously varying their distance apart, while the nozzle member at is intermittently expanded and contracted.

Simultaneously, valves (not shown) are operated in the piping of the suction system, in order to apply suction at the appropriate times to the three sets of suckers 599, Ht, Iii-8i, 82, 83-and ti 82 83 The pneumatic tube are and its suckers constitute a pneumatic separator and the arms is, 80 and their suckers constitute a pneumatic transfer and opening device. The various parts move in such phase relations that the pneumatic separator lllB rocks to the position indicated in Fig. 4 so that its suckers make contact with the front collapsed bag in the magazine indicated by I35 (see Fig. 5A) and then its suction is applied to hold said bag. The pneumatic separator Hi8 then rocks back, thus separating the bag from the stack of bags in the magazine I23 and moving it to the position I ll in Fig. 5A where it is retained temporarily. While the collapsed bag is retained by the pneumatic separator in this position I41, the pneumatic transfer and opening device is moved so that its two sets of suckers 8!, 82, 838I 32 83 moving in a direction more or less parallel with the plane of the bag are located on either side of the bag and then approach each other so as to make contact with opposite sides of the bag. Suction is then applied to these sets of suckers 3!, 82, 8t 3i 82 83 while the suction is cut oil from the suckers Hi9, lid, IH of the pneumatic separator N38.

The pneumatic transfer and opening device 19, 8b is then moved so as to turn said device bodily and also to open out its arms I9, 88.

This has the effect of removing the bag from the pneumatic separator I08 and carrying it bodily through an arcuate path to transfer it to the filling nozzle 34 while opening out the mouth of the bag, finally moving the opened mouth of the bag over the filling nozzle 3:7. to surround it ready for the filling operation as indicated in Fig. 2. This position of the bag is indicated in Figs. 2 and 5 by I48. The filling nozzle 34 is then expanded to engage the mouth of the bag to secure it, and the required charge (of flour or sugar for instance) is fed to the bag through a spout The suction to the pneumatic transfer and opening device I9, 80 is shut off when the bag is engaged by the expanded filling nozzle 35%, and the arms 19, 8t return on an idle stroke preparatory to engaging a succeeding collapsed bag at The arms l9, 8i! of the pneumatic transfer and opening device do not on the idle return stroke simply retrace the positions they successively took on the operative or transfer stroke. This permits of the arms it, 8t making an initial spacing movement and thus opening out more at the start of the idle stroke in order to bring them completely clear of the opened bag.

These movements are caused by the correct rocking of the sleeve cam 96, 9'! surrounding the axle 60.

After the bag has been filled the filling nozzle 34 is contracted and the filled bag falls from the position Hit a short distance on to a moving endless conveyor belt I4! of which only the rear part is shown in Fig. 5, together with a rear pulley Hi2 over which it passes.

Guide rails M4 act to maintain the filled bags correctly on the conveyor belt I4 I.

The motions performed by the various working parts of the mechanism during one cycle of operations will be readily understood by a comparative study of the various figures of the drawings; Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are mainly concerned with the bag transfer and opening device.

It is to be understood that while disclosure has been made of a preferred form of feeding mechanism, other equivalent forms of mechanism and sub-assemblies therefor may be used within the scope of the invention defined in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic bag feeder comprising a main frame, an oscillatory arm pivotally carried at its upper end by said main frame and provided at its lower end with a plurality of pn umatic suckers, a bag magazine, means for oscillating said arm in one direction to bring said suckers into engagement with the leading collapsed bag of a stack thereof carried on edge by said magazinc and in the opposite direction to remove said bag from the magazine and place it in position to be engaged by bag transfer means, bag transfer means including a carrier member oscillatable about an axis disposed at right angles to that of said oscillatory arm, a pair of arms pivotally connected at their upper ends to said carrier member and swingable in a direction parallel to the axis thereof, each of said arms being provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a stationary filling nozzle operatively aligned with said carrier member, means for oscillating said carrier member in one direction to bring the suckers of said pair of arms on opposite sides of the bag held by the suckers on said first mentioned oscillatory arm and in the opposite direction to bodily move said opposed sets of suckers and the bag held therebetween through an arcuate path terminating at said nozzle whereby to apply the bag thereto, andmeans for imparting a movement of separation to the lower ends of said pair of arms prior to the end of said arcuate movement whereby to open the mouth of said bag prior to its engagement with said nozzle.

2. An automatic bag feeder comprising a main frame, an oscillatory arm pivotally carried at its upper end by said main frame and provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a bag magazine, means for oscillating said arm in one direction to bring said suckers into engagement with the leading collapsed bag of a stack thereof carried on edge by said magazine and in the opposite direction to remove said bag from the magazine and place it in position to be engaged by bag transfer means, bag transfer means including a carrier member oscillatable about an axis disposed at right angles to that of said oscillatory arm, a pair of arms pivotally connected at their upper ends to said carrier member and swingable in a direction parallel to the axis thereof, each of said arms being provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a normally contracted filling nozzle operatively aligned with said carrier member, means for oscillating said carrier member in one direction to bring the suckers of said pair of arms on opposite sides of the bag held by the suckers on said first-mentioned oscillatory arm and in the opposite direction to bodily move said opposed sets of suckers and the bag held therebetween through an arcuate path terminating at said nozzle whereby to apply the bag thereto, means for imparting a movement of separation to the lower ends of said pair of arms prior to the end of said arcuate movement whereby to open the mouth of said bag prior to its engagement with said nozzle, and means eifective after a bag has been applied to said nozzle for expanding the same to fully open position and retain the bag thereon and for again contracting said nozzle after the bag has been filled.

.3. An automatic bag feeder comprising a main frame, an oscillatory arm pivotally carried at its upper end by said main frame and provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a bag magazine, means for oscillating said arm in one direction to bring said suckers into engagement with the leading collapsed bag of a stack thereof carried on edge by said magazine and in the opposite direction to remove said bag from the magazine and place it in position to be engaged by bag transfer means, bag transfer means including a carrier member oscillatable about an axis disposed at right angles to that of said oscillatory arm, a pair of arms pivotally connected at their upper ends to said carrier member and swim-gable in a direction parallel to the axis thereof, each of said arms being provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a stationary filling nozzle operatively aligned with said carrier member, means for oscillating said carrier member in one direction to bring the suckers of said pair of arms On opposite sides of the bag held by the suckers on said first-mentioned oscillatory arm and in the opposite direction to bodily move said opposed sets of suckers and the bag held therebetween through an arcuate path terminating at said 50 nozzle whereby to apply the bag thereto, and means effective prior to the commencement of said bodily arcua-te movement for imparting a movement towards each other of the lower ends of said pairs of arms whereby to cause the suckers carried thereby to engage opposite faces of said bag and thereafter effective during said bodily arcuate movement for imparting a movement of separationof the lower ends of said arms whereby to open the mouth of said bag prior to its engagement with said nozzle.

4. An automatic bag feeder comprising a main frame, an oscillatory arm pivotally carried at its upper end by said main frame and provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a bag magazine, means for oscillating said arm in one direction to bring said suckers into engagement with the leading collapsed bag of a stack thereof carried on edg by said magazine and in the opposite direction to remove said bag from the magazine and place it in position to be engaged by bag transfer means, bag transfer means including a carrier member oscillatable about an axis disposed at right angles to that of said oscillatory arm, a pair of arms pivotally connected at their upper ends to said carrier member and swingable in a direction parallel to the axis thereof, each of said arms being provided at its lower end with a plurality of pneumatic suckers, a normally contracted filling nozzle operatively aligned with said carrier member, means for oscillating said carrier member in one direction to bring the suckers of said pair of arms on opposite sides of the bag held by the suckers on said first-mentioned oscillatory arm and in the opposite direction to bodily move said opposed sets of suckers and the bag held therebetween through an arcuate path terminating at said nozzle whereby to apply the bag thereto,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,43 l Allen Feb. 15, 1944 1,125,802 Bracy Jan. 19, 1915 1,589,800 Frank June 22, 1926 2,343,879 Belcher et al. Mar. 14, 1944 2,350,666 Allen June 6, 1944 

